‘RepRap’ Robot Can Replicate Itself

It’s begun. The robots are taking over – plastic robots, to boot. English researchers have created a robot that can create 3-D replicas of objects like shoes and coat hooks – and can even replicate itself. It’s meant for the average person to have on their desktop, so you can create common plastic items as needed in your own home.

From PC World:

Scientists from the University of Bath in England unveiled an open-source machine that acts like a three-dimensional printer. Instead of printing out documents or pictures on paper, this printer uses blueprints to produce 3-D plastic objects.

The machine has been dubbed RepRap, which is short for replicating rapid-prototyper.

The goal is to eventually build a robot that can produce individual processors and circuit boards so people can build their own computers, according to Zack Smith, director of the RepRap Research Foundation.

Smith explained that unlike a regular printer that uses ink, RepRap heats up plastic and then squeezes it out into a line. The lines are built up into usable forms as they solidify. So far, the robot has made everyday plastic objects, like door handles, sandals and coat hooks. The machine has also successfully copied all of its own structural pieces.

It’ll likely be about 20 years before the robot can fully replicate itself. So, those of us with the sense to realize that giving machines intelligence is a deadly mistake have some time to start preparing.

Seriously though, this machine has the potential to either produce tons of useless plastic junk that will end up polluting the earth – or it could reduce our dependence on China for cheap manufacturing. (Chris DiBona, Google’s Open Source Programs Manager, said “Think of RepRap as China on your desktop”.)

The jury’s still out on how good it would ultimately be for the planet. It certainly seems like it could potentially cause a copyright lawsuit extravaganza as people stopped purchasing everyday items from stores and just created them at home.

Get more details at the RepRap website.

Link [PC World] + [RepRap]

When Robots Attack, They Will Be Made Of Recycled Styrofoam

We all know that Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable enemy of Mother Earth. But might it also be used to one day destroy the human race? Probably not, but artist Michael Salter has created a massive 21-foot robot made from the stuff to serve as a warning. From the article,

“Dubbed as the Giant Styrobot, this bot stands exceptionally tall at 21 foot. Completely crafted of Styrofoam, Giant Styrobot has altered the function of this packaging material from a protector of packed contents to dinosaurous robot that is colossal enough to crush everything under its feet.”

As you can see from the above image, this robot has also spawned numerous mini-robots to assist in carrying away your dog or DVD collection. But seriously, over 14 million metric tons of polystyrene are produced annually, according to the EPA. The vast majority ends up in landfills where one polystyrene cup can take several hundred years to decompose. To date, only 1 percent of polystyrene is recycled.

Perhaps robots are the answer. I personally welcome our new well-insulated overlords.

Link: [Ecofriend]

If We Can Build BigDog, We Can Engineer a Green Society

Have you seen the video of BigDog, a project developed by Boston Dynamics for the U.S. Military? BigDog is a four legged robotic pack mule that is at once awe inspiring and a little terrifying (cough**Skynet**cough). Pay attention to the BigDog collecting itself after it almost slipped on the ice halfway through.

If we walked on the moon almost 40 years ago, and can make crazy ass robots like this today, how could we not be able to engineer our society so that it doesn’t destroy the environment in which it lives? We’re barely flexing our ability to engineer a clean (notice I didn’t say cleaner) way of living the good, modern life.